Sound Blaster X1 Hi-res Super X-Fi External USB DAC and Headphone Amplifier for PC and Mac, Also Compatible with PS4, PS5, and Switch

I initially bought this amp but returned it later because I bought SXFI Air Gamer.Pros:For the price, this amp is one of the lowest-cost solutions to give me virtual surround sound.For compatibility, I use it with my iPhone with the lightning to USB-A camera adaptor, my MacBook Pro, and PS4. It isn't easy to find a surround sound solution for Apple products without paying a lot to buy Airpods and subscribe to Apple Music and Apple TV. Moreover, headsets that provide surround sound on PS4 usually are not compatible with iPhone or MacBook. Most of the headsets provide surround sound to only PCs. These headsets do not provide surround sound for iPhone/MacBook and PS4 at the same time, except SXFI Air Gamer. This little guy X1 amp is one of the few compatible with almost ALL electronic devices.For surround sound, SXFI is a bit narrower than Dolby Atmos, but SXFI is also accurate for different sound positions. For other surround sound formats, e.g., Dolby Atmos, DTS 2.0, THX spatial, we need to pay to subscribe to the surround sound, and they are available only on PC (and maybe XBOX). I don't like the idea of paying a monthly subscription for the surround sound that the headset is supposed to provide. For the one-time $50, I own SXFI surround sound forever.For size, this is a small form factor, and it is easy to carry around.Cons:When I connect to either iPhone or MacBook Pro to listen to free music on YouTube (not YouTube Music subscription), there will occasionally be an interruption of sound. It is like jumping a track on the vinyl, but the interruption is very short. While the music video is playing, the interruption lasts less than a second. The music video continues to play through this interruption, suggesting that the interruption originates from this amp, not from the iPhone/MacBook, YouTube, or internet connection. This is annoying and the main reason I return it.The input of this amp is only USB-C. With an adaptor, I can use USB-A as the input. There is no 3.5 mm aux in. Connection to iPhone is relatively troublesome with a lightning to USB-A camera adaptor, USB-A to USB-C adaptor, USB-C to USB-C cable, and finally the amp. I bought SXFI Air Gamer mainly because I can use Bluetooth with SXFI. FYI, SXFI Air Gamer has Bluetooth 5.0, not 4.2 (please see my review on SXFI Air Gamer).This amp has no Battle mode. This is another reason I get SXFI Air Gamer to experience the Battle mode.On iPhone, only SXFI app works. On Mac, only SXFI app works. The Creative App on Mac does not recognize X1 amp when connected with USB-C.This X1 amp is the same as SXFI amp. The company put a sticker at the back of the amp to cover the original "SXFI amp" logo.Both Pro and Con:The SXFI app has a list of headsets, earbuds, and IEMs. The list does not have my Sony M9, but my M9 can still produce surround sound when I pick any IEMs in the list. When I pick different IEMs, I can hear the changes in sound when I test the sound position on each virtual channel from the Audio Midi of my MacBook Pro. If I have a Creative headset/earbud/IEM, it will perfectly match this amp.Note: make sure to take the pictures of your ears and face clearly in the center. The first time I took those pictures for myself, SXFI did not work well. I could not tell the sound positions accurately. After my wife retook those pictures for me and set up another profile, SXFI worked very well. The sound positions became more accurate.Conclusion:This amp fits almost all my needs. If there were no interruptions listening on YouTube, I would have kept it. With three times the price of X1 amp, SXFI Air Gamer is a better fit for my needs.

Update: After using it for more than 3 Months I can say the most underrated DAC I have ever used. Quality is so good and it punches way above its price point at $45. dont doubt and buy it. it has so much power that can Drive my Sundro heapdhones with iPhone and OTG cable + it can amplify headset as well something that is not very usual at this price point. I think this easily deserves 5 Stars.I got this to listen to Lossless audio with KZ Pro headphones I can easily tell the difference and build quality is superb! already picked a few other cheap DACs and even iFi this thing is obviously a better choice. very tiny but nice quality also had done some Zoom and FaceTime calls and asked the recipient to tell me if there is any difference when I switch to the same headset over standard 3.5mm and everyone confirmed my voice is louder and clear I also heard them louder and cleaner. haven't tried gaming yet but on Music and Calls it was a great choice.

I really hate to do this to such a perfect brand. I should have bought a model that was meant more for audio and not so much for gaming because this had so much echoing effects going on with music that probably was nice with gaming. The quality as always is top notch and perfect, built to last and used the best of DAC chips too of course. Appearance was great too, sleek and stylish. Performance for me was great except for the echo effect which I couldn't figure out how to get rid of. It was basically a plug and play, it did have an app that wasn't necessary to use with it to function at its fullest for gaming. Clarity I'm positive would have been perfect as all of my previous experience has led up to, never anything bad from Creative. So this was just primarily my error in understanding the device.Thank you so much Creative!

I purchased this device because the sound of my PC (on-board audio) is muddled and noisy.Immediately after hooking up the SoundBlaster X1, I noticed an incredible improvement in sound quality. There is an app (for the PC) to allow you to customize your sound.There is another app (for your phone) that allows you to map your head and customize additional aspects of the sound based on the shape and position of your ears. Although I did try this, I don't turn that feature on.Some people will really love it, though, I'm sure.This is a less-expensive (and less time-consuming) solution than purchasing and installing a new sound card in your computer.

Nice little amp DAC. The app works well with it too

Using it as an external solution for PC and this thing has insane power. 30/100 brings my planars to uncomfortable levels so this will be enough power for pretty much every modern user.That power can also be dangerous though. Would not recommend using IEMs with this. If you really insist on doing so, make sure you test the volume with the IEMs out of your ears first to make sure it isn't blasting at 100%.One thing I noticed too was an improvement in mic quality on my wired headsets, which was a nice surprise. All in all I still recommend this for anyone looking to improve their onboard audio in a cheap and inconspicuous way. This is really all you need.

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